


laws of attraction: interspecies edition

by anthropologicalhands



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Cuddles, Established Relationship, F/M, Pillow Talk, Sensuality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-18
Updated: 2014-11-18
Packaged: 2018-02-26 03:20:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2636126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anthropologicalhands/pseuds/anthropologicalhands
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shepard and Garrus consider attractiveness, especially in regards to each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	laws of attraction: interspecies edition

“What do you find attractive about me?”

Under normal circumstances, it was not a question she ever felt the need to ask. But in the privacy of her cabin, the lights low and her body pleasantly tired, stretched out on her bed, it drifted from a notion to question with little difficulty. Garrus was sitting up against the headboard, supported by an impressive collection of pillows, and scrolling through his datapad, though she doubted it was anything work-related. She lay on her side facing him, pressing her cheek to her own pillow, hugging it close, blanket pulled up over her hips but everything else still bare.

Through half-open eyes, she saw Garrus pause in his scrolling and look down at her.

“Sorry, didn’t catch that. What did you say?”

She repeated her question, louder. Her drowsiness warred with a very genuine curiosity to hear his answer.

Garrus tilted his head down at her, brow plates rising in a way she learned meant consideration, not surprise.

“That’s a loaded question, Shepard,” he said, setting aside his datapad on the bedside table. She felt his fingers settle lightly on the top of her scalp, and start carding through her hair. “And you makes faces whenever I try complimenting you,” he paused. “Unless, of course, this is one those tricks Joker keeps warning me about.”

Shepard laughed, the sound muffled by her pillow. “Remind me to have a talk with Joker. No, I’m serious. And it’s not just about me. What do you find attractive in women?”

“…you’re sure this isn’t a trick question?”

Shepard smacked him very lightly on the arm. He listed off to the side at an exaggerated angle before righting himself, smirking, when she started laughing again.

“I’m not bullshitting you, Garrus.” She sat up, crossing her legs, and twisted around to face him more fully. “I’m just curious. I like talking to people about their preferences. And since this relationship is…unique to both of us, I realize that we probably have some pretty different ideas. And I want to see just how different.”

Garrus still looked rather dubious. Shepard pressed on. “Come on, you show me yours and I’ll show you mine.” She batted her eyelashes at him, and was rewarded with a snort of disbelieving laughter.

“Again?” he drawled, dragging his gaze over her body. “Well, I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t…”

She rolled her eyes at him. He held up his hands in surrender.

“All right, all right, I’m kidding. Just give me a minute, would you?”

Shepard nodded, and reached for her own datapad, scrolling for messages. For once, there was nothing too urgent. A couple of milk run missions, James requesting another spar, Steve requesting that James be formally banned from buying alcohol for the human crew members…

“Got it,” said Garrus, and Shepard quickly set the datapad down, lest she get drawn out of her own little bubble. She turned to him expectantly.

“I doubt you’re going to be surprised by any of this.”

“It’s not about being surprised, We’re just sharing.”

“Have it your way. I’ve always liked confrontational personalities, so you fit that part of the bill. Physically…turian women have curling mandibles. Turian men, it’s the fringe—the longer the better.”

Shepard smirked. “Like big feet?”

He blinked. “Excuse me?”

Shepard waved it away. “I’ll explain later. Keep going.”

He shifted forward, now angling his body towards her—the better to look. “As for you…I do like the color of your hair. You have a good neck, the way it curves is…very distracting.

Shepard nodded, digesting this new information. “Most turian clothes do seem to hide your throats. Is that common?”

“Well—no.  High necklines just keep your throat from getting slashed. But,” his mandibles fluttered a little. “I suppose hiding it might increase desirability. Otherwise, it’s just sensitive.”

“I’ve noticed.”

Garrus gave her an ‘oh really’ sort of look. Very deliberately, he reached over and trailed the tips of his talons down her throat, from her earlobe to her clavicle. She shuddered pleasantly at the contact.

“So have I,” he murmured. His hand drifted down, wrapping gently around her wrist and pulling her towards him.

“Watch it, Vakarian.” Still, she allowed herself to be pulled and scooted closer, pressed against his side. Garrus obligingly wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He was much warmer than the blanket.

“Sorry,” said Garrus, sounding anything but. “But yes, the neck is...good. Waists, too, for much the same reason.” His fingers gently stroked along the edges of her ribs. “…But you already knew that.”

“Then tell me something I don’t know.” Her brain was going pleasantly fuzzy, lulled by his touch, and she fumbled a bit with her words.

He laughed, low and soft.

“What you don’t know. Well, this juncture, here…” He ran a hand over the dip of her waist, trailing his fingers over her hip bone. “ _Very_ attractive.”

There was a purr in his voice that made her squirm, tucking her legs up into his lap, entwining more thoroughly with him. She rested her head gently in the space between his neck and shoulder.

“My turn,” she said. “You have a very sexy voice.” She shifted, freeing one arm, and trailed her hand over his chest, mostly avoiding the soft skin between his plates, though she enjoyed the interesting hitch in his breathing when she didn’t. “Always thought so. Even before the Omega-4 relay.”

“Really?” She can feel the surprise in his subharmonics, vibrating throughout her body.

“Mm-hm.”

“Huh,” he hummed deep in his throat. “Well, the same goes for you, Shepard.”

It was her turn to be surprised. “You thought _my_ voice was sexy?”

“ _Is_ sexy. And sure. Strong and easy to hear. Sultry as hell when you turn on the charm. Of course, it has its downsides.”

“Like what?”

“A few well-chosen words from you, Shepard, and I turn into a babbling idiot.”

Shepard smiled into his neck.

“What else?” He prompted, voice soft.

Shepard glanced up at him, at the curiosity evident in his face. She resumed her stroking, this time starting from his shoulder.

“Waists don’t mean the same thing to humans as they do to turians, but this shape...” she trailed her hand from his shoulders to the middle of his chest and down to his belly. “Broad shoulders and a slim waist have their own charms. Your build is lean and your musculature is different, but _very_ nice.” She tilted up her face so that he could see her smile. “And you have beautiful eyes.”

They fell into a companionable silence. His hand was still on her hip, and hers moved from his shoulder and up the back of his neck, massaging the skin under his crest, when he spoke again. This time, his voice was no longer so light.

“Shepard, what’s the point of this? I like all of you. I like knowing what makes you react. Knowing what you like me to touch, what makes you smile…that’s all I ever needed to find you desirable. I don’t really care about who I found attractive before, and I am not about to have a ‘if you were turian’ conversation.”

Shepard frowned and looked up at him. Garrus wasn’t looking at her, looking over her head at the fish tank. “That isn’t what I’m after.”

“Then what is it about?”

Shepard reached for his hand and interlaced their fingers.

“Curiosity. I was just thinking about you. About how much you mean to me. And what I like about you. And it occurred to me—”

She stopped. Lifted her head from the crook of his neck and turned his face towards hers.

“Just so we’re clear, this was always about you and me. I still don’t find other turians sexually attractive. And believe me; I’ve tried to see it.” She shrugged. “It’s all you.”

“I’m not insecure, Shepard.” There was a tart note in his voice, but his body language was relaxed. Shepard took the moment to sling a leg over his hip, sliding onto his lap (carefully—avoiding chafing), their gazes level. She broke their gaze; let him see her taking in his body.

She hesitated.

“It’s funny. I mean, as big as the universe is I was having trouble finding turian-human vids for research. To figure out how we would _work_. Even before I, uh…”

“Tried to start your own? I remember; I was there.”

Shepard felt her cheeks burning. Because there really was no other way to put it: her come-on had sounded like something out of the beginning of a porn vid.

“I was more concerned about getting the concept out there,” she said. “I just said the first thing that popped into my head.”

“Course you did,” he said, amused. He slid his hands over her hips, though it was more a comfortable gesture than a sensual one. “I will admit; I spent the better part of the week after wondering what the hell you were thinking, Shepard. What would we have done if we were…less compatible?”

Actually, she had an answer for that.

“Mutual masturbation,” she said matter-of-factly. Garrus choked and coughed violently, face turned away. Shepard bit back a giggle. He gave her a look.

“…Seriously?”

She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter now. I found the vids and Mordin’s research was…informative, even if I never want to hear the term ‘ingest’ again.”

She cleared her throat. “But more to the point. We aren’t built to fit each other, and I know turians and asari work well together, but everyone works well with the asari. I just wondered. When you accepted my…proposal—”

“Your pick-up line.”

Shepard glared. “My proposal. Because I have been wondering how…sexually attractive I found you at the time. I mean, there were all the materials about where erogenous zones are, what to watch out for, where to touch but I was already…”

She trailed off, suddenly embarrassed.

“Attracted?” prompted Garrus gently, hands that were resting on her hips now sliding their way up her waist, up to her shoulders.

Some of her hair was in her face; she pushed it back. It was long enough to curl around her ears when she tucked it back—maybe time for a trim. “Yes. I know that it wasn’t about that for us. But it just got me to thinking—not just about what turians find attractive in comparison to humans, but what you found attractive. About me. Because I did find you attractive, and I’m still not sure how to make sense of it.”

“I see.” A pause. “I was considered good-looking, you know. As a turian. Had more than a few asari come up to me when I was making my rounds at the Citadel. Didn’t realize it at the time, and I’m still not sure if my superior wasn’t just trying to mess with me. But it wouldn’t surprise me if you picked up on it.”

He was back to being cocky. Shepard felt the corner of her mouth turn up. “I’m not surprised. I always thought you were striking, even before all of this.”

“I’m flattered.” He shifted, pulling her flush against him. “Especially when I hear it from the one woman with enough sexual magnetism to attract every damn species in this galaxy.”

Shepard sputtered. “ _Excuse_ me?”

“You know what I’m talking about, Shepard.”

“I do not,” protested Shepard.

“You do. Ask Wrex sometimes. He used to complain about all of the pheromones.”

“No _thank you_.”

Garrus’s chest rose and fell with laughter. Shepard kept her face pressed there, more mortified than amused.

“I don’t _mean_ to attract people like that,” she muttered. “It just happens.”

“Of course it does,” said Garrus, voice dripping with amusement. “It’s your voice. One of these days, I’ll make a recording and send it to you.”

Shepard just groaned.

“I don’t want to talk about this.”

Garrus was unperturbed. “You brought it up.”

His hands were being very distracting, running up and down her back.

Shepard was unmoved. “I don’t care about what everyone else thought of me. I just wanted to talk to you about it.”

“Well, not much to say, Shepard. I liked the whole package. What about you? What changed your mind about us…at least, physically?”

His arms loosened, and Shepard leaned away from him, to better study him. The blue of his markings. The silvery sheen of his plates. His mandibles, flickering slightly. Everything that was utterly and completely Garrus.

“You know, I might have to say the scars.”

“Really.”

“Oh, yes. _Definitely_ the scars.” She placed her hands on his shoulders and, very deliberately, pressed her lips to the side of his neck. “You got it right the first time. Never could resist a man with scars.”

She moved upwards, up his neck, to his mandible.

“Uh huh.” He didn’t sound convinced.

“Oh yes.” She let her hands start to wander.

“Fine. _Don’_ t tell me.” One arm wrapped entirely around her waist and he flipped them, so her head was buried in the pillows, and he hovered over her. “Former space cop, Shepard. I’ll find out eventually.”

She smiled up at him, feeling a warmth separate from the quickening in her blood. “No secrets, Garrus. Just you.”


End file.
